E2M7: The Great Hall (Heretic)

E2M7: The Great Hall is the seventh level in the Hell's Maw episode of Heretic. It uses the music track "Wait" by Kevin Schilder.

Essentials
Turn left as the level starts and follow the steps down, past an Ethereal Crossbow, to a tiled platform with a sabreclaw, then run south over a gap to reach a large doorway. Go up the steps to a room with more sabreclaws then go through the door in the south-east corner to find a fire gargoyle protecting two more doors. Open the south door to enter a storage room and kill any gargoyles and sabreclaws hiding behind the boxes, then press the switch on the south wall to lower a box near the center of the room which holds the yellow key (it is also possible to climb up to the key without pressing the switch).

Go back through the door to the previous hallway and open the west door this time to confront some golems, then open the south door between the yellow gizmos to find an undead warrior protecting another switch in the north-west corner of the room. Press the switch then go back to the storage room to find that the north-east wall has opened, revealing a wide staircase guarded by gargoyles and sabreclaws; instead of going down the stairs, walk along the east ledge to a doorway leading to a square room with more gargoyles and sabreclaws; approach the platform by the east wall with a Dragon Claw on it, then press the switch here before going back to the wide staircase. Walk along the west wall of the staircase to a couple of small pillars - you can open the north door here to find the green key sitting on a plinth.

Backtrack to the large room on the west side of the map and go through the north door, between two green gizmos. Dispose of any sabreclaws and gargoyles hiding behind the door then open a second door in the north-east corner to find weredragons and more sabreclaws protecting the blue key. With this key, retrace your steps to the blue key door you saw earlier and head through it to enter a hall with several red columns. Destroy the waiting sabreclaws and gargoyles, along with three disciples of D'Sparil (or an iron lich on bringest them oneth skill level or higher), then head up the blue steps to a switch that will lower a wall behind you; take the Mystic Urn behind this wall then open the door on your left to find a disciple protecting the exit teleporter.

Other points of interest
From the start, walk south until you drop down to a step with a Silver Shield and a switch. Press the switch (which will raise a platform to the south holding a Tome of Power) then run north through the lava to a small island with a second switch; this switch will lower a lift leading back up to the starting point. As the lift rises, step west to collect a Shadowsphere.

In the room with the yellow key door, walk north to enter an alcove with a Torch and north-west to collect Gauntlets of the Necromancer.

Get on the north ledge before the blue key door, then enter the doorway on your right to drop down to a passage leading to Wings of Wrath.

Secrets

 * 1) Go to the bottom of the wide staircase near the center of the level, then go back up to the storage room to find that part of the west wall has opened, revealing a passage with sabreclaws and gargoyles. (sector 30) The wooden steps in this passage hold stacks of Mace Spheres and Timebombs of the Ancients.
 * 2) As you approach the blue key door you will hear two platforms moving behind you. Get on the north platform and let it carry you up to a ledge with a Hellstaff. If you run off west this ledge with the correct amount of speed you will land on a C-shaped ledge below. Open the mural of the chained man to find a Tome of Power, a Flame Orb and Lesser Runes. (sector 156)
 * 3) From secret #2, go back to the platforms by the blue key door and get on the south platform this time. Follow the ledge and go through the wall that opens on your left to enter the square room with the Dragon Claw; entering from this direction will open another wall to the south, behind a Chaos Device. The corridor behind this wall holds various ammo pickups, as well as a Ring of Invulnerability. (sector 72)
 * 4) After getting the blue key, return to the previous room and go to the south-west corner to find that a wall has opened revealing a switch. Press the switch to open the north wall, then head down some magma steps (which are damaging) to a cavern with weredragons guarding a Phoenix Rod on a small island. (sector 106) From this island, walk east to find an Enchanted Shield and a route back to the start of the level.

Bugs
On the northern platform near the blue key door, sidedef 962 lacks an upper texture. The flaw causes the flat of the lower ceiling to leak over the top wall of the sidedef causing a minor visual anomaly.

Current records
The records for the map at the Doom Speed Demo Archive are:

The data was last verified in its entirety on July 10, 2023.

Player spawns
This level contains five spawn points:
 * 1) facing south. (thing 4)
 * 2) facing south. (thing 5)
 * 3) facing east. (thing 6)
 * 4) facing south-east. (thing 7)
 * 5) facing west. (thing 12)

Things
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level: